No PhysX card? See how UT2007 will run on your machine!

[truegamer]

I've been dying to see how UT2007 will run on my new machine, a big blue box that I just built over the past couple months, and in my hunt for anything that will offer the slightest indication of how UT2007 will run on my computer, I have found a tech demo that I haven't seen posted here that takes advantage of not only an advanced game engine but also Ageia's PhysX engine, an engine in use in UT2007.

In fact, this is probably a pretty good way of seeing how UT2007 will run on your machine without the PhysX card, an additional $300 upgrade that may or may not be required, because the game in question is the game Ageia has used as a technology demonstration to show what the PhysX engine is capable of.

The game: Cell Factor. It was briefly mentioned on Ageia's website (viewable here), but when I tried getting the demo from the site, I found that the demo had been taken offline... for some reason...

Luckily, I found it on Gamespot. Download it here.

My PC: AMD Athlon 64-bit 3700+, A8N-SLI ASUS mobo, 2gb DDR-RAM (4x512...it was on sale and I couldn't afford 2x1024), BFG GeForce 7900GTX (w/512mb DDR3) that doesn't support DX10, a few 7200-rpm drives, a 16x DVD burner... onboard RealTec 7.1 supporting audio...and a blue case with lots of blue lights and a really cool handle on the top. Needless to say, this computer will be able to handle UT2007 with no physics support. But will it run WITH PhysX support? Even with a $530 video card?????

My notes on the install process... I had some trouble with this. First, you need Microsoft's dotnet framework installed to even install CellFactor. And after that, CellFactor needs to dick around with your dotnet install before it even begins installing itself. Plus my primary drive was full, so CellFactor wouldn't even install on another drive unless I freed up some space.

After the game itself installed, it wanted to install some silly PhysX stuff, including PhysX processor drivers. I didn't install the drivers, though I installed the other three things it demanded I install (which include Xfire...).

That was a stupid idea. The game won't even run without the drivers installed. Luckily, the installer for PhysX stuff was left in the game directory for conveneient uninstall/reinstall.

After installing the drivers, I found that the game still won't run because the hardware isn't detected.

So what does this tell me? That I can't test the PhysX tech demo without a PhysX card. Moral of the story? Save up $300.

[The_Head]

Ummmm - its a demo for a PhysX card. Of course you need a PhysX card....
Plus installing the drivers for hardware you don't have isn't gonna convince your computer into thinking it has that given piece of hardware.

[Kantham]

Is there anything that mentioned that you need a Physic card in the recomended specs?

Hell i hope not.

[_Lynx]

PhysX is recommended - it was said in GS interview during E32006.

Also check that link: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1056037

[Kantham]

Uh oh.

That card takes PCI right? What is the recomended CPU for that piece of hardware?

[toniglandyl]

http://www.ageia.com/physx_in_action/cellfactor.html

Min. Requirements:
AGEIA PhysX Accelerator (Yes, it is required!)
Windows XP
Intel or AMD CPU 2 GHz +
1 GB RAM
DirectX 9 compliant Graphics Card

[Kantham]

Holy crap @ CellFactor video.

[MARVO]

dude, just add EnablePhysX=false to the end of the path for your shortcut and it will load right up.

my experience with the cell factor demo was pretty good. when i start a game out i get around 40 fps. five minutes later it drops pretty low, but its still alot of fun. I think im going to get the ppu at the end of the month.

[toniglandyl]

thanks ! but is there a way to disable DX9 pixel shader 2.0 ? (cause my 5200 doesn't support it)

[DeathBooger]

Running the game without a physx card turns off fluid and cloth dynamics, two of the most demanding simulations. Also if you turn on bots it's unplayable, your CPU can't handle the AI and physics calculations, even my dual core AMD couldn't handle it. The card is necessary to actually "play" the game. You're basically playing Half Life 2 with a lot more barrels with out a physx card, it's not really demanding until you shoot chunks out of walls.

[MARVO]

exactly ^

[truegamer]

Originally Posted by MARVO

dude, just add EnablePhysX=false to the end of the path for your shortcut and it will load right up.

my experience with the cell factor demo was pretty good. when i start a game out i get around 40 fps. five minutes later it drops pretty low, but its still alot of fun. I think im going to get the ppu at the end of the month.

My experience was good too when I had the game at low settings

@1280x1024, high settings - 200fps on menu...20fps with 4 bots running.... 10fps when I fire a grenade into a room full of physics objects (thus launching **** everywhere)

@800x600, low settings - 999fps on menu, 25-30 with 4 bots, 15-20fps with physics objects in play

[normdiggy1]

hey

[normdiggy1]

i need help

[->Sachiel<-]

huh...you just made my day, since UT2007 won't have many physics objects in its maps since its a primarily online game and having piles of barrels will compromize navigation and therefore gameplay.

[truegamer]

Originally Posted by ->Sachiel<-

huh...you just made my day, since UT2007 won't have many physics objects in its maps since its a primarily online game and having piles of barrels will compromize navigation and therefore gameplay.

I can make it better, I imagine. This is me playing @ 800x600, medium settings. No bots, just me.

http://www.truegamer.net/movies/cellfactor.wmv

Once again, my specs... Athlon 64bit 3700+, BFG GeForce 7900+GTX (512mb DDR3), 2gb DDR PC3200 (4x512), onboard 7.1 sound, NO PhysX card

Most of the time I was chirping along at 30fps, except for when one of thsoe darkmatter barrels exploded with 100+ objects on it, in which I'd drop to about 7fps until most of the debris settled.

There's no way that's going to be in 2k7. It'd make no sense.

[MARVO]

for some reason, after i play it for about 5 or so minutes, and i look to the middle of the map, my fps drops to about 1. I get about 25 other than that though. It makes me really mad >< anyone else experience this?

it confuses me, because when i first start the game i get a pretty smooth fps no matter where i look...

[->Sachiel<-]

Now I can only woory about buying a new video card when the game comes out (good think I've already saved for this ). O and for MARVO, one possibility is that the glitchy demo has a memory leak, another is that all the destroyed objects tripled the poly count causing your video card to suicide...Or a combination of both.

[MARVO]

im worried about the increased poly count as you mentioned. The objects, once broken, will disappear, then spawn back to how they originally were though. so the poly count shouldnt be it, but i may be wrong...

[truegamer]

Yes... debris and objects recycle every minute or so. It sounds like your fault is the memory leak.